Natural Remedies
Bee Products: Medicine From the Hive
by C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D.
In ancient times raw honey was equally valuable on the battlefield and on the dinner table. In fact, all bee products—bee pollen, honey, propolis and royal jelly—were essential medications for many ailments. Although the beehive's millennial track record is enough to satisfy some, skeptics might be interested in how science confirms ancient wisdom.
Bee Pollen is flower pollen collected by honeybees from a variety of plants and is the insect's primary food source. Pollen grains, which are flowers' male reproductive cells, contain concentrations of phytochemicals and nutrients. Bee pollen is rich in carotenoids, flavonoids and phytosterols. The exact profile varies depending on the plant sources and growing conditions; however, beta-carotene, beta-sitosterol, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, lycopene, quercetin and rutin are consistently reported.1
Studies show promising results regarding pollen's potential. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of 60 men, researchers from the department of urology, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, found pollen extract was an effective treatment for prostate enlargement and prostatitis.2 In another study, mice with lung cancer survived almost twice as long when treated with pollen extracts compared with untreated controls. Pollen increased the effectiveness of chemotherapy when given simultaneously. Unlike chemotherapy, pollen didn't attack tumors but stimulated immunity.3 The pollen dose ranged from 0.2 to 10 mg per day.
In a third study, rats were exposed to solvent vapors 30 hours per week for three months, simulating industrial exposure. This elevated their liver enzymes, indicating diminished detoxification capabilities. Rats given 60 mg/kg body weight of pollen extracts had significantly lower liver-enzyme levels than untreated controls. Liver damage in the control rats increased their serum cholesterol 104 percent and triglycerides 37 percent, increases that were nearly prevented in rats given pollen.4
Honey is a by-product of bees concentrating plant nectars. It is mainly food for bees, bears and humans. The characteristic flowery taste of raw honey comes from the pollen it contains. Honey's ability to heal wounds and treat infections is quite notable. It also is known for its antioxidant, antibiotic and antiviral capabilities.
Honey is 18 to 20 percent water and is comprised of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose; vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, K and beta-carotene, as well as minerals and enzymes. Raw, unprocessed honey has the most medicinal and nutritional value.
In a study of 104 patients with first-degree burns, researchers in Maharashtra, India, compared honey's effectiveness to gauze soaked in silver sulfadiazine (SS), the conventional treatment. After seven days, 91 percent of honey-treated burns were infection-free compared with 7 percent of those treated with SS. After 15 days, 87 percent of honey-treated burns were healed compared with 10 percent of the SS-treated burns. The raw wildflower honey formed a flexible protective barrier which prevented infection, absorbed pus, and reduced pain, irritation and odor.5
Researchers in Sanaa, Yemen, treated 50 patients with wound infections following cesarean section or hysterectomy twice daily with either raw wildflower honey or a standard antiseptic solution of alcohol and iodine (AI). The 26 treated with honey were infection-free after six days compared with 15 days for the 24 treated with AI. Eighty-four percent of honey patients healed cleanly compared with 50 percent of AI patients. Honey treatment reduced the average postoperative scar width by nearly two-thirds, and hospitalization duration by half.6
Four mechanisms are proposed for honey's healing properties:
- Honey is mostly glucose and fructose. These sugars are strongly attracted to water, forming a viscous syrup. When spread on a wound, honey absorbs water and body fluids, thus dessicating bacteria and fungi and inhibiting their growth.7
2. Raw honey contains glucose oxidase, an enzyme that, in the presence of a little water, produces hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic. Glucose oxidase is destroyed by bright light, heat and pasteurization, so it is absent from most commercial honeys.7
- Raw honey contains bee pollen, enzymes and propolis, all of which can stimulate new tissue growth.
- Honey can contain additional medicinal compounds, including essential oils, flavonoids, terpenes and polyphenols, depending on the plant from which the pollen was taken.7
In a laboratory study of 345 unpasteurized honey samples, the majority exhibited antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause food poisoning. When honey's natural hydrogen peroxide effects were removed, only honey from Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) and Viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) were still active.8 New Zealand's dark, aromatic Manuka honey also inhibited Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that can cause ulcers.9 In general, stronger, darker honeys, such as buckwheat, sagebrush and tupelo, have greater antimicrobial and antioxidant activity—enough to act as food preservatives.10
Propolis consists mainly of specific tree resins collected by honeybees. Bees use propolis like putty to seal cracks and openings in the hive, strengthen combs and seal brood cells. Propolis also helps sterilize the hive—the resins protect both trees and bees from infections.11 Most research has been conducted on propolis from European and Eurasian forests, where the source trees are predominantly poplars but also beech, birch, chestnut and several conifer species.12
More than 180 compounds have been identified in propolis, and many are biologically active.11 Flavonoids are abundant, including apigenin, galangin, kaempferol, luteolin, pinocembrin, pinostrobin and quercitin, all of which are anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, antiallergenic, antioxidant and/or antimutagenic.13 Propolis is uniquely rich in the caffeic acid phenethyl ester, which in animal studies has inhibited cancer growth14 and reduced inflammation as effectively as drugs.15
Propolis also contains organic acids and their derivatives as well as terpenoids. These constituents contribute antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral effects.11,13,16-18
In cultures, propolis inhibits the growth of various viruses and fungi including herpes, influenza, rota, candida and aspergillus.16,19,20 Many bacteria are also affected, including Clostridium spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. Propolis is active against bacteria isolated from people with upper respiratory infections, including penicillin-resistant strains.21
Propolis potentiates pharmaceutical antibiotics, including streptomycin, penicillin, neomycin and tetracycline; the combined products act synergistically.21 For treating existing internal infections, propolis can be taken in conjunction with prescribed medications but not in place of them. For acute infections, customers can take four to eight 400600-mg capsules daily for two weeks.
Propolis is also a superior ingredient in wound salves and may help heal stomach ulcers. One tablespoon raw honey with propolis three times daily during an ulcer flare-up can be helpful. In addition to being antimicrobial, propolis is anti-inflammatory and detoxifying, and it stimulates new tissue growth.18
Royal Jelly is a thick, creamy fluid synthesized in nurse bees' bodies during digestion of bee pollen and secreted from glands in their heads. Collection is a labor-intensive process that involves gently vacuuming the royal jelly from hive cells, where it is stored, and straining out the larva. All larvae are fed royal jelly for three days, but the queen bee eats royal jelly exclusively, which makes her fertile and able to live for five to seven years. In contrast, worker bees are sterile and live just seven to eight weeks. Royal jelly has a reputation for maintaining youthfulness in humans, but research, while encouraging, lags behind that for other hive products.
Fresh royal jelly is 2.0 to 6.4 percent trans-10-hydroxy delta-2-decenoic acid (HDA) by weight.22 HDA is a monounsaturated fatty acid with a hydroxyl group. Polyunsaturated (essential) fatty acids are mainly metabolized to hydroxy fatty acids in the skin. Hydroxy fatty acids protect skin from dehydration, and some are strongly anti-inflammatory. HDA may also be anti-inflammatory.23 Royal jelly also contains collagen; lecithin; and vitamins A, C, D and E—all of which benefit the skin.24 Concentrated royal jelly moisturizes dry skin and soothes dermatitis.18,25
Additionally, royal jelly contains all the B vitamins and is especially rich in pantothenic acid.24 It contains phytosterols (mainly beta-sitosterol) and enzymes, as well as acetylcholine and hormones including estradiol and testosterone.13,26 All of these compounds help lower cholesterol. A review of controlled studies concluded that in humans, 50 to 100 mg royal jelly per day decreased total cholesterol by 14 percent and triglycerides by 10 percent.26 Royal jelly at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight also slowed the development of atherosclerosis in rabbits fed high-fat diets.17
Researchers and consumers alike share a new enthusiasm for ancient foodstuffs such as bee products. In 1999 researchers at the USDA/University of Arizona in Tucson discovered genes that respond to a 24-hour royal jelly diet—the process that turns ordinary bee larva into queen bees via better nutrition alone. At Northern Ohio University in Ada, rats fed only raw bee pollen granules were healthier and leaner than those fed standard rat chow.
Watch for more information on these and other bee products studies in NSN.
C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D., heads 22nd Century Nutrition, a nutrition/scientific consulting firm, and is a visiting scientist at a government nutrition research laboratory.
References
1. Markham KR, Campos M. 7- and 8-o-methylherbacetin-3-o- sophorosides from bee pollens and some structure/activity observations. Phytochemistry 1996;43:763-7.
2. Buck AC, et al. Treatment of outflow tract obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia with the pollen extract Cernilton, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Br J Urol 1990;66:398-404.
3. Furusawa E, et al. Antitumor potential of pollen extract on Lewis lung carcinoma implanted intraperitoneally in syngenic mice. Phytother Res 1995;9:255-9.
4. Ceglecka M, et al. Effect of pollen extracts on prolonged poisoning of rats with organic solvents. Phytother Res 1991:5;245-9.
5. Subrahmanyam M. Topical application of honey in treatment of burns. Br J Surg 1991;78:497-8.
6. Al-Waili NS, Saloom KY. Effects of topical honey on post-operative wound infections due to gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria following caesarean sections and hysterectomies. Eur J Med Res 1999;4:126-30.
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9. Somal NA, et al. Susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to the antibacterial activity of manuka honey. J Royal Soc Med
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19. Ghisalberti EL. Propolis: a review. Bee World 1979;60:59-84.
20. Amoros M, et al. Comparison of the anti-herpes simplex virus activities of propolis and 3-methyl-but-2-enyl caffeate. J Nat Prod 1994;57:644-7.
21. Krol W, et al. Inhibition of neutrophils chemiluminescence by ethanol extracts of propolis (EEP) and its phenolic components. J Ethnopharm 1996;55:19-25.
22. Bloodworth BC, et al. Liquid chromatographic determination of trans-10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid content of commercial products containing royal jelly. J AOAC Int. 1995;78:1019-23.
23. Ziboh VJ. The significance of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cutaneous biology. Lipids 1996;31:S249-53.
24. Lecker G, et al. Components of royal jelly II: the lipid fraction, hyrocarbons and sterols. J Apic Res 1982;21:178-84.
25. Iannuzzi J. Royal jelly: mystery food, in three parts. Am Bee J 1990;8:532-4, 587-9, 659-62.
26. Vittek J. Effect of royal jelly on serum lipids in experimental animals and humans with atherosclerosis. Experientia 1995;51:927-35.
